Bravo’s ‘Love Hotel’ Suitors Open up About Looking for Soulmate Connections With the Real Housewives (Exclusive)

The Real Housewives are checking in for love, even as some of their bachelors are checking out.

Connections are forming on Love Hotel as eligible bachelors vie for the hearts of The Real Housewives of Potomac’s Ashley Darby and Gizelle Bryant, The Real Housewives of New York City’s Luann de Lesseps, and The Real Housewives of Orange County’s Shannon Storms Beador.

At the end of the second episode of the Bravo dating show, the Housewives awarded a hotel key card to the men they wanted to get to know more, sending the rest packing before a new group of single guys makes their entrance to the hotel in next week’s episode.

The five remaining OG bachelors — Earl Thompson, Ralph Mastrangelo, Jay Bramble, Wale Alesh, and Phill Westbrooks — opened up to PopCulture.com following the key card ceremony about their budding romances. Keep reading to learn more about each bachelor:

Earl Thompson

Earl “The Pearl” Thompson was initially “on the fence” about joining Love Hotel, but was convinced by friends that he was “lucky” to have the “once in a lifetime” opportunity to find love.

The 59-year-old vocational expert immediately formed a connection with Shannon, whom he told PopCulture “had this light inside of her” when they first met. “That’s what I was drawn to — her smile, her laugh,” Earl said. “I could tell she was a little nervous, like all of us, which I found endearing. And I knew that that was one person I really wanted to get to know better.”

Going into the hotel key ceremony, Earl was “hopeful” he’d receive Shannon’s key, but said he was “okay” if she decided she felt a stronger connection with someone else. “But man, was I stoked when she gave me the key,” he admitted. “Loved it.”

Ralph Mastrangelo

The 61-year-old Nashville-based sound system specialist may have spent his career in the entertainment industry, but he told PopCulture it was “so outside [his] comfort zone” to join a dating show.

Luckily, he was convinced by his two sons, ages 10 and 11, to take the leap, and Ralph has since found himself the object of multiple women’s affection. Luann ultimately awarded Ralph her key at the end of episode 2, but he was also a top pick for Gizelle, who only chose Jay once Ralph had already been selected.

“It’s very flattering, and I’m not used to being in that position,” Ralph confessed. “And you know, it was a lot. Let’s just say that. But still, it’s a great feeling, right?”

Jay Bramble

The 46-year-old father of two admitted he had “no idea” what he was getting into on Love Hotel, but agreed to give the dating show a chance after striking out in “the jungle we call the dating apps world.”

Jay had no idea about the Real Housewives before joining the Bravo show, but said he was hoping to make a “real connection” nevertheless. And while Jay connected with Gizelle right off the bat, she’s been back and forth on her feelings, only choosing to award her key to him after seeing Ralph be taken.

“I love Gizelle. She’s tough to kind of read,” Jay admitted, saying he was “really trying to get to know her behind the glam and behind the one-liners” for which the RHOP star is famous. Being Gizelle’s second choice for a key “kind of put me back a little bit,” Jay told PopCulture, as he realized, “I need to put in some more work or really try to figure out if this is the person I want to connect with.”

He added, “Because I want someone who’s just as excited to learn about me as I am about them. So I don’t want to waste anyone’s time, including my own. So it was tough.”

Wale Alesh

The youngest of all the Love Hotel bachelors, Wale was “a little apprehensive” to join the dating show, but quickly made a connection with Ashley.

Going into the key ceremony, Wale told PopCulture he felt “pretty confident” he’d be getting her key over rival bachelor Nicholas. “We would also make our own dates, like we would work out in the morning,” Wale said. “These are things that when you’re interested in someone, you find a way to make happen.”

Getting that key was still affirming for the 38-year-old I.T. director, “because when you’re in these experiences, sometimes you don’t necessarily know what you’re feeling is actually real,” he explained. “It’s a short span of time and you’re just like in your mind, ‘Am I misreading this?’ … So that was just good affirmation and it kind of made me a little more calm. Like, okay, the connection I’m building here with her is actually real.”

Phill Westbrooks

Phill had the most nerve-racking hotel key ceremony of all the bachelors, as the 63-year-old Los Angeleno was awarded the final key after all of the Housewives agreed he should get to stick around a little longer.

“I was shocked. I won’t even say surprised. I was shocked, because we all sat there and went through the process and everyone’s nervous and just anticipating what’s going to happen,” he told PopCulture.

Phill initially turned down the opportunity to be on Love Hotel before having a change of heart. “I said, ‘You know what? I need to open up a little bit because I’m a private person as well.’ And I did, and it’s been a great experience,” he said. “I’ve been looking for love and my life partner and soulmate for a long time and I haven’t found her on my own. So I said, ‘Okay, this might be the opportunity.’”

Bravo’s Love Hotel airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo and streams the next day on Peacock.